Laws

Laws in Ecuador are something else! I'll focus on alcohol, and driving, and then voting laws.
Similar to many other countries, the official drinking age here is 18. I've been told by a local from Cuenca, that it is common for 14- or 15-year-olds to buy alcohol from the liquor store. You can buy liquor very cheep ($3-$5) from small street shops (tiendas) or from liquor stores. It is officially illegal to sell liquor after 10, besides in bars, but many times the tiendas just close the metal sliding door (similar to the stores in the mall), and people can still knock on the door and buy liquor from them. Drinking on the streets is also officially illegal, but extremely common. In Cuenca, Calle Larga and Remigio Crespo are the "it streets" where there are many bars and tiendas and people park their car on the street and commonly sit near their car and drink on the street. Drinking and driving is looked at the same way as it is in the US; most people don't do it. The driving limit here is 0.03, much lower than ours in the US. Which brings me to my next topic: Driving.
While driving through the city at night, people always honk at blind intersections. They do this for drunks, and for people who run red lights! I have come to realize that red-lights and especially stop-signs tend to be optional in this country! Pedestrians do NOT have the right-a-way. Lines on the highway are just decoration. Speed limits, are similar to red-lights. I've been told its common to go about 30 km over the speed limit (18 mph) which once again is bending the rules much more than we do in the states. Just about every street has round-abouts that dont seem to have any right of way! On top of there being basically no enforced driving laws other than drunk driving, the roads here are insane! Today my host mom told me that they say if you can drive in Ecuador, you can drive anywhere in the world.
Besides the lenient laws of alcohol and driving regulations, the voting laws are quite interesting. A "Certificado de Votacion" or voting card is granted to all citizens when they vote in presidential elections. This card just as, if not more, important to the citizens of Ecuador as their ID. Every citizen over the age of 18 is required to vote, and voting is optional for anyone 15 and over. If someone fails to vote and obtain this card, they loose many privileges or have to pay a fine in order to get a voting card. The fine varies by region and I have been told its about $100 if you do not vote. Without a voting card, they cannot get a credit card, buy or rent a house or car, attend college (which is free), or work for the government for 3 years. I think this concept of enforcing voting is good for the country because Ecuador has had history with dictators and currently has very controversial political issues such as mining. The citizens need to express the true popular opinion to prevent environmental disaster in their country.